Automated method and system for feeding animals

ABSTRACT

A feeding station for at least one animal, said feeding station comprising: at least one supply hopper having a food product; a food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled portions of said food product; a weigh hopper for receiving said food product from said food dispensing unit; a hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform for receiving said food product from said weigh hopper; a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member rotatable on a top surface of said hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform to remove unconsumed food product off said feeding platform after a feeding event.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/113,354, filed on Feb. 6, 2015.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an automated method and system forfeeding animals, more specifically it relates to providing controlledportions of food to a uniquely identified animal in a predetermined timeperiod, and in accordance with the animal's dietary restrictions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

In a recent survey it was reported that 62% of Americans have a pet,with the dog population estimated at 71 million, and the cat populationestimated at 73 million. A multitude of reasons have been postulated toexplain the rise in pet ownership over the years, and whatever theparticular reason, there is now conclusive evidence that pets contributeto the physical and psychological well-being of their owners.

Household pets are typically feed at least three times a day, and so itis no surprise that more than 8.3 million tons of cat and dog food (wet,dry, treats and mixers) were sold in the United States in 2013, whichamounts to about $20 billion in sales. There are several types offeeding methods employed by most pet owners, such as free-choicefeeding, also known as “ad lib” feeding or “free feeding”, in which foodis available at all times, such that the pet can eat as much andwhenever it desires. This approach is used for most nursing pets, and ismost appropriate when feeding dry food, which will not spoil if leftout. However, with this approach some pets are prone to overeating asthey lack self-regulation, and therefore this approach often leads toobesity. Another method is portion-control feeding which entailsmeasuring the pet's food in order to control the amount of food that canbe consumed. With this feeding method food can be provided in one ormore meals daily, and this method is typically used for weight controlprograms and for animals that might overeat if they are on free-choicefeeding. Yet another approach is the timed feeding method, whichinvolves making a portion of food available for consumption for aspecified period of time, after which any food that is not consumed isremoved.

These approaches are generally considered to be inconvenient and a choreby most pet owners, as they require pet owners to measure feed amountsthemselves, and schedule feeding times; and in some cases the pet ownersare forced to be physically present to perform the feeding duties. Inaddition, most pets are often alone at home for extended times, such asduring work hours or vacations, and therefore sufficient food and watermust be left in an accessible location for the pets to consume.Alternatively, the pet owner is tasked to enlist another person toperform the feeding duties.

In households with multiple pets, or a mix of pets such as cats anddogs, feeding can be especially challenging since dogs and cats eachhave special dietary needs and should be fed the appropriate pet food.Generally, pet food is designed to be species-specific, and it is notappropriate for a cat to eat dog foo, as dog food may not provide allthe essential nutrients a healthy cat needs, and vice-versa. Inaddition, some pets might consume more food or water than others, thusdepriving others of food or water. Such inequitable distribution of foodand water may lead to health issues, and some pets may become obese,while others may be malnourished or underweight. To further exacerbatethe problem, some pets may be on strict or special diet that dictatesconsumption of specific amounts of food at predetermined times, such asdiets to counter obesity, diabetes, or urinary conditions. As thesedietary needs are usually unique to each pet, it can be verychallenging, if not impossible, to maintain each pet on a specificfeeding regimen, or schedule, and if separate diets are introduced, itcan be nearly impossible.

Several systems for automatically feeding animals have been proposed,however these prior art systems do not adequately address theabove-noted issues associated with feeding animals.

It is an object of the present invention to mitigate or obviate at leastone of the above-mentioned disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one of its aspects, there is provided a feeding station for at leastone animal, said feeding station comprising:

-   -   an enclosure having a base, said enclosure having:    -   at least one supply hopper having a food product;    -   a food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled        portions of said food product;    -   a weigh hopper for receiving said food product from said food        dispensing unit;    -   a feeding platform within said enclosure for receiving said food        product from said weigh hopper;    -   a portal to said enclosure for allowing access to said food        product by said at least one animal for a feeding event;    -   a feeding platform sweeping member for clearing unconsumed food        product off said feeding platform;    -   at least one disposal bin for receiving said unconsumed food        product from said feeding platform following said feeding event;        and at least one weight sensor for determining the weight of        said food product in said weigh hopper before said feeding        event, and for determining the weight of said food product in        said at least one disposal bin following said feeding event.

In another of its aspects, there is provided a method for dispensing atleast one food product for at least one animal in a feeding stationenclosure, said method comprising the steps of:

-   -   associating said at least one animal with an identification tag        having a unique identifier, and associating said unique        identifier with a feeding program;    -   storing said unique identifier and said feeding program in a        database structure; detecting the presence of said at least one        animal in the vicinity of a portal of said enclosure, and        acquiring said unique identifier;    -   querying said database structure with said unique identifier and        retrieving said feeding program associated with said at least        one animal;    -   providing a control signal to at least one dispensing unit to        dispense a specific amount of said at least one food product to        a weigh hopper, in accordance with said feeding program;    -   weighing said at least one food product in said weight hopper        and releasing said at least one food product to a feeding        platform for said at least one animal to initiate a feeding        event; and recording a pre-feeding event weight measurement of        said at least one food product;    -   sensing the non-presence of said at least one animal within said        enclosure, indicative of an end to said feeding event;    -   removing unconsumed at least one food product off said feeding        platform into at least one disposal bin, weighing said        unconsumed at least one food product and recording a        post-feeding event weight measurement of said at least one food        product; and    -   determining the amount of at least one food product consumed by        said at least one animal based on said pre-feeding event weight        measurement of said at least one food product and said        post-feeding event weight measurement of said at least one food        product.

In yet another of its aspects, there is provided a method for assessingthe health of at least one animal, said method comprising the steps of:

-   -   associating said at least one animal with an identification tag        having a unique identifier, and associating said unique        identifier with a feeding program stored in a database        structure;    -   determining whether said at least one animal is in the vicinity        of a feeding platform based on an acquisition of said unique        identifier by a tag reader, and providing a control signal to at        least one dispensing unit to dispense a specific amount of at        least one food product in accordance with said feeding program        associated with said unique identifier, when said at least one        animal is in the vicinity of said feeding platform and awaiting        to initiate a feeding event;    -   weighing said at least one food product before releasing said at        least one food product to said feeding platform and recording a        pre-feeding event weight measurement of said at least one food        product; weighing said at least one food product remaining on        said feed platform following said feeding event, and recording a        post-feeding event weight measurement of said at least one food        product;    -   determining the amount of at least one food product consumed by        said at least one animal based on said pre-feeding event weight        measurement of said at least one food product and said        post-feeding event weight measurement of said at least one food        product; and    -   determining the feeding habits of said at least one animal, said        feeding habits including at least one of: type and amount of        food consumed, and rate and frequency of consumption; time of        day of feeding events, duration of feeding events.

In yet another of its aspects, there is provided a feeding station forat least one animal, said feeding station comprising:

-   -   an enclosure having a base, said enclosure having:    -   at least one supply hopper having a food product;    -   a food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled        portions of said food product;    -   a weigh hopper for receiving said food product from said food        dispensing unit;    -   a hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform within said        enclosure for receiving said food product from said weigh        hopper;    -   a portal to said enclosure for allowing access to said food        product by said at least one animal for a feeding event;    -   a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member rotatable on a top surface        of said hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform, and disposed        on said hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform before said        food product is released from said weigh hopper prior to said        feeding event; and said hemi-frustoconical sweeping member        rotatable to remove unconsumed food product off said feeding        platform after said feeding event;    -   at least one disposal bin for receiving said unconsumed food        product from said feeding platform following said feeding event;        and    -   at least one weight sensor for determining the weight of said        food product in said weigh hopper before said feeding event, and        for determining the weight of said food product in said at least        one disposal bin following said feeding event.

In yet another of its aspects, there is provided a feeding station forat least one animal, said feeding station comprising:

-   -   at least one supply hopper having a food product;    -   a food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled        portions of said food product;    -   a weigh hopper for receiving said food product from said food        dispensing unit;    -   a hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform for receiving said        food product from said weigh hopper; and    -   a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member rotatable on a top surface        of said hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform to remove        unconsumed food product off said feeding platform after a        feeding event.

In yet another of its aspects, there is provided a method and system forassessing the health of an animal by monitoring the animal's consumptionlevels of food, including weight, within predetermined time frames toform at least one dataset for determining the animal's health status,and regulating future consumption based on the health status.

In yet another of its aspects, there is provided a method and system forproviding each animal with a fair share of the food in a multi-animalhousehold or environment.

Advantageously, the claimed invention provides controlled portions offood only to uniquely identified animals within predetermined timeperiods, and keeps track of the animal's eating habits, by determiningthe type and amount of food consumed, and rate and frequency ofconsumption. Accordingly, automatic feeding of individual diets inmulti-animal households is facilitated in a more convenient fashion, andthus has the potential to ease the schedules of busy animal owners. Theclaimed invention is also relatively cost effective as it substantiallyreduces the possibility of food wastage due to over-feeding, and alsopromotes observance of the dietary needs of the animals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Several exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now bedescribed, by way of example only, with reference to the appendeddrawings in which:

FIG. 1a is a side elevation view of a feeding station;

FIG. 1b shows a cut-away perspective view of the feeding station;

FIG. 1c shows a cut-away side view of the feeding station;

FIG. 1d shows a sectional view of the feeding station, taken along lineA-A′;

FIG. 2 is a top-level component architecture diagram of an exemplaryfeeding station;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a feeding system;

FIG. 4 is a top-level component schematic of an exemplary animal sensingmodule;

FIG. 5 is a cut-away top view of the feeding station;

FIG. 6 is a top view of a dispensing mechanism for a food product;

FIG. 7a is a top perspective view of the dispensing mechanism of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7b is a perspective view of a trough with an auger of thedispensing mechanism;

FIG. 7c is a top view of the trough with an auger of the dispensingmechanism;

FIG. 7d is a cut through view of the trough with an auger of thedispensing mechanism;

FIG. 8a is a cut-away perspective view of a weighing platform chamberand a feeding chamber;

FIG. 8b is a perspective view of a weigh hopper;

FIG. 8c is a top perspective view of the weigh hopper;

FIG. 8d is another perspective view of the weigh hopper;

FIGS. 9a to 9c show various perspective views of the weighing platformchamber and the feeding chamber;

FIG. 9d shows a top view of a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member on afeeding platform;

FIG. 9e shows a back view of the weighing platform chamber;

FIGS. 10a to 10f show various positions of the hemi-frustoconicalsweeping member as it is rotated between the feeding chamber and theweighing platform chamber; and

FIGS. 11a to 11c show a high level flow diagram illustrating exemplaryprocess steps for automatically feeding a uniquely-identified animal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the inventionherein makes reference to the accompanying block diagrams and schematicdiagrams, which show the exemplary embodiment by way of illustration.While these exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, it should beunderstood that other embodiments may be realized and that logical andmechanical changes may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. Thus, the detailed description herein ispresented for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation. Forexample, the steps recited in any of the method or process descriptionsmay be executed in any order and are not limited to the order presented.

Moreover, it should be appreciated that the particular implementationsshown and described herein are illustrative of the invention and are notintended to otherwise limit the scope of the claimed invention in anyway. Indeed, for the sake of brevity, certain sub-components of theindividual operating components, conventional data networking,application development and other functional aspects of the systems maynot be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting linesshown in the various figures contained herein are intended to representexemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between thevarious elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additionalfunctional relationships or physical connections may be present in apractical system.

Looking at FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, and 1 d, there is shown a feedingstation, generally designated by numeral 10, for providing controlledportions of food to animals, in one exemplary embodiment. Feedingstation 10 is generally egg-shaped and comprises upper portion 12 withhinged lid 13 operable between a closed position and a closed position,lower portion 14, and base 15. Upper portion 12 comprises one or moresupply hoppers 16 a, 16 b, for holding supplies of food product 17,which are dispensed to feeding chamber 18 formed within lower portion14. Dispensed food product 17 is accessed by animal 11, via tunnel 20having tunnel entrance 22 dimensioned to receive a portion of animal 11,such as head and neck. The egg-shaped nature of the upper portion 12 ofthe enclosure discourages animals 11, such as cats, from resting on topof it. Generally, a cat in that resting position may intimidate othercats from approaching feeding station 10, or may physically impede othercats from using feeding station 10.

As shown in FIG. 1 d, intermediate upper portion 12 and lower portion 14is dispensing platform 23 supporting food dispensing unit 24 operable todispense controlled portions of food, such as dry food, or mixers andtreats, to feeding chamber 18. The controlled food portions are weighedin weighing platform chamber 19, and subsequently delivered to feedingchamber 18 via a drop chute 26, to land on feeding platform 28.

Dispensing platform 23 also carries control system 31 on printed circuitboard 32. Control system 31 comprises a general computing system havingprocessing circuitry, such as, microprocessor 34, which is arranged tocommunicate, via system bus 36, with memory 38, animal sensing module40, food dispensing module 42 is associated with food dispensing unit24, and weight sensor module 44 receives input signals from loadsensors, as shown in FIG. 2. The skilled person will appreciate thatmemory 38 may be provided by a variety of components including avolatile memory, a hard drive, a non-volatile memory, etc. Indeed,memory 38 comprises a plurality of components under the control of the,or otherwise connected to, microprocessor 34. However, typically memory38 provides a program storage portion 46 arranged to store program codewhich when executed performs an action, such as feeding program orsensing program, and data storage portion 47 which can be used to storedata either temporarily and/or permanently.

Communications interface module 48 is also coupled to microprocessor 34,and may include a wired interface, wireless interface, opticalinterface, IR interface or RF interface, and may use standard protocolssuch as SONET, SDH, Zigbee, Ethernet, Wi-Fi (e.g. IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n,WiMax), Bluetooth, powerline communication (e.g. IEEE 1901), or otherstandard and non-standard physical layers well known to those skilled inthe art. Accordingly, feed station 10 is associated with a uniqueidentifier, such as a media access control (MAC) address. As shown inFIG. 3, communications interface module 48 enables connection to one ormore computing devices 49, 50, and to shared or remote drives, viacommunications network 51. Computing devices 49, 50 may be in the formof any kind of general processing structure, and may for example includeany device, such as, a personal computer, laptop, computer server,handheld user device (e.g. mobile phone, tablet, smartphone,smartwatch).

The programming of feeding station 10 may be performed via a userinterface 52 coupled to microprocessor 34 executing an appropriateapplication program, or via computing devices 49, 50 with a suitableapplication program. Each animal 11 is associated with an animal profilecomprising a unique identifier, dietary needs, feeding schedule to forma feeding program or regimen that is stored in database 53. In oneexample, a user may enter the desired number of meals for a particularanimal 11 within a predetermined time period, and microprocessor 34automatically calculates the correct amount of food to dispense for eachmeal, and/or determines the feeding schedule. Alternatively, a dailyallotment of food may be set such that animal 11 may consume foodproduct 17 at any time during the day provided the daily allotment isnot exceeded. Exemplary user interface 52 is associated with lid 13 andcomprises a display such as a liquid crystal display and may includebutton actuators, LEDs.

Looking at FIG. 4, animal sensing module 40 comprises radio frequencyidentification (RFID) reader assembly 55 with electronic circuitry 56comprising a transceiver associated with a suitable antenna 57, andinterrogates passive RFID tag 58 associated with animal 11 when animal11 is positioned within feeding chamber 18, and within the read range ofthe antenna 57, or adjacent feeding platform 28. Each RFID tag 58comprises a unique identifier corresponding to a particular animal 11,and RFID reader 55 recognizes the specific animal 11 via RFID tag 58. Inturn, microprocessor 34 executes preprogrammed instructions associatedwith the feeding program to dispense a specific amount of food for aspecific animal 11. Accordingly, all interactions between feedingstation 10 and animal 11 may be logged, and therefore an exemplary auditlog associated with a feeding event may include identification of animal11, type of food product 17, manufacturer of food product 17, feedingtime, feeding frequency, feeding rate, food weight, food consumption(based on dispensed amount measurement, unconsumed food measurement),and so forth. RF shield 59, such as a Faraday cage, formed by aconducting material or mesh blocks out external static electricalfields, such as radio waves, and prevents triggering of RFID reader 55to interrogate RFID tags 58 external of feeding chamber 18. Accordingly,RFID reader 55 can act as a presence detector for animal 11, andtherefore initiate the dispensation of food product 17 for animal 11present in feeding chamber 18. Alternatively, presence detecting devices60, such as proximity sensors, photoelectric detectors, or ultrasonicdetectors, positioned adjacent the tunnel entrance 22 may be employed.

Food dispensing module 42 receives instructions from microprocessor 34to dispense a specific type and amount of food product 17 correspondingto the uniquely-identified animal. The food supply may be replenished asneeded by a user, and may include sensors for determining food levels insupply hoppers 16 a, 16 b, or amount of food remaining in order to issuealerts to a user based on the predetermined threshold levels, or advisethe user of the remaining number of feeds remaining based on the feedingschedule and associated feeding portions.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1c and 5, food dispensing unit 24 comprisessupply hoppers 16 a, 16 b for holding food product 17, troughs 62 a, 62b comprising dispensing mechanism 63, and weigh hopper 64. Supplyhoppers 16 a, 16 b may hold the same type of food product 17 ordifferent types of food product 17, depending on the diet of animal 11,or user preferences. Therefore, one or more types of food products 17are introduced into supply hoppers 16 a, 16 b via lid 13 when open, andfood product 17 is discharged therefrom via retractable gate control 65a, 65 b disposed between exit port 66 a, 66 b of each of supply hoppers16 a, 16 b, and troughs 62 a, 62 b, respectively. Gate control 65 a or65 b, is a longitudinally-extending plate with aperture 67 formed withthe plate. Gate control 65 a or 65 b is resiliently-biased and slidableto place exit port 66 a, 66 b to maintain exit port 66 a in a closedposition. Gate control 65 a or 65 b is caused slides out away from acover of upper portion 12, upon application of a force on gate control65 a or 65 b away from the cover of upper portion 12, therebypositioning aperture 67 coaxially with exit port 66 a or 66 b to allowfood product 17 to descend into troughs 62 a, 62 b. Removal of the forcecauses gate control 65 a or 65 b to slides back in to position aperture67 non-coaxially with exit ports 66 a, 66 b to prevent food product 17from flowing into troughs 62 a, 62 b. Gate control 65 a, 65 b aremanually operated, or may be controlled by a solenoid.

Troughs 62 a, 62 b are angularly disposed within cutouts 68 a, 68 b ofplatform 30. As shown in FIG. 6, cut-outs 68 a, 68 b are angled towardseach other at one end, such that food product 17 from troughs 62 a, 62 bis dispensed into the same weigh hopper 64. Looking at FIGS. 7a, 7b, and7c , trough 62 a is generally polygonal and comprises opposedlongitudinal extending sidewalls 70, 72, joined by back wall 74 at backend 76 and by front wall 78 at front end 79, with base wall 80connecting all walls 70, 72, 74 and 78. Opposed longitudinal extendingsidewalls 70, 72 also include raised shoulders 81, 82 with flanges 83,84 which extend from about midway between back end 76 and front end 79,and to back end 76. Trough opening 85 is defined by walls 70, 72, withraised shoulders 81, 82, and walls 74 and 78. On base wall 80, adjacentfor front end 79 is trough dispensing port 86 a connected to cylindricalspout 88 a for conveying food product 17 from trough 62 a. Back wall 74includes circular opening 90 adjacent to base wall 80, which receivesdispensing mechanism 63. Generally, dispensing mechanism 63 comprisesauger member 90 a mounted on shaft 92 a, and coupled thereto is motorunit 94 a and gear reducer 96, and auger member 90 b mounted on shaft 92b, and coupled thereto is motor unit 94 b and gear reducer 96. Augermembers 90 a and 90 b, have similar features, and troughs 62 a and 62 balso have similar features. FIG. 7c shows a side view of food hopper 16a secured to flanges 83, 84 of trough 62 a secured angularly ondispensing platform 23.

Food product 17 from supply hopper 16 a is discharged via exit port 66 aand received at back end 76 of trough 62 a, and contained within raisedshoulders 81, 82 while minimizing any overflow, and food product 17 isprogressively pushed along trough 62 a by auger member 90 a from backend 76 towards trough dispensing port 86 a coupled to cylindrical spout88 a. Auger member 90 a is driven by motor unit 94 a, such as a steppermotor, which provides a torque to rotate auger member 90 a under thecontrol of microprocessor 34 to dispense a known quantity of foodproduct 17 from trough 62 a. Accordingly, auger member 90 a comprises ahelical shaped flight 100 along longitudinally extending shaft 92, witha predetermined and progressive pitch between flight blades 102, as canbe seen in FIG. 7b . For example, the flight pitch Fp₁ between flightblades 102 a and 102 b is smaller than the flight pitch Fp₂ betweenflight blades 102 b and 102 c, with the flight pitch Fp₃ between flightblades 102 c and 102 d being the largest spacing.

Troughs 62 a, 62 b with auger members 90 a, 90 b, respectively, aredisposed within cut-outs 68 a, 68 b at an upward angle, such that foodproduct 17 is received primarily at back end 76 and contained withinraised shoulders 81, 82. The upward angle is selected to reduce theinitial burst of food product 17 that would occur if walls 70, 72 oftroughs 62 a, 62 b were substantially parallel with dispensing platform23, and therefore results in improved progressive food dispensingcontrol (degrees/gram of food). As food product 17 is pushed up trough62 a, the relative volume of food product 17 in each neighboring flightspace Fp₁, Fp₂, Fp₃ increases. The progressive volume expansion betweenflight spaces Fp₁, Fp₂, Fp₃ allows food product 17 to settle and spreadout over the course of travel to trough dispensing port 86 a, whichminimizes food product 17 being crushed on opposed longitudinalextending sidewalls 70, 72. In addition, progressive volume expansionbetween flight spaces Fp₁, Fp₂, Fp₃ and the upward angle of troughs 62a, 62 b with auger members 90 a, 90 b, reduces the height of foodproduct 17 within troughs 62 a, 62 b, which improves the flow control offood product 17, and minimizes food product 17 breaching the edges ofwalls 70, 72, whilst being pushed forward by rotating auger members 90a, 90 b. Accordingly, most of food product 17 from supply hopper 16 a iscontained within raised shoulders 81, 82. The reduced height of foodproduct 17 within troughs 62 a, 62 b beyond raised shoulders 81, 82allows the natural bridging of food product 17 to occur earlier in therotation of auger member 90 a or 90 b, and therefore improved foodproduct 17 flow control is realized. The angle of repose of troughs 62a, 62 b with auger members 90 a, 90 b also reduces bridging aroundtrough dispensing port 86 a or 86 b.

In one example, one full revolution of the auger member 90 a or 90 b maybe calibrated to dispense food product 17 in a single pitch of theflight. By having knowledge of the amount of food product 17 stored inone pitch between the adjacent auger blades 102 a and 102 b, or 102 band 102 c, or 102 c and 102 d, then a predetermined number of rotationaldegrees of auger member 90 a or 90 b results in a corresponding knownamount of food product 17 being dispensed. For example, one completerotation may result in 5 grams of food product 17 being dispensed, whilea half-revolution results in 2.5 grams of dispensed food product 17.

As shown in FIGS. 8a to 8d , weigh hopper 64 is positioned belowcylindrical spout 88 a to receive food product 17 from trough 62 a, andcylindrical spout 88 b to receive food product 17 from trough 62 b.Weigh hopper 64 is mounted on weighing platform 110 disposed in weighingplatform chamber 19 in lower portion 14, such that food product 17 canbe weighed before being conveyed to feeding chamber 18. Any left-overfood product 17 remaining on feeding platform 28 is directed intodisposal bins 112, 114, also mounted on weighing platform 110, andtherefore the left-over food product 17 can be weighed, as will beexplained in more detail below. By introducing an area where weighingcan occur before food product 17 is dispensed to animal 11, an accurate,undisturbed measurement can be achieved. For example, weighing platform110 is built across 3 load cell sensors 116 a, 116 b and 116 c, whichare arranged in a summing network.

In more detail, hopper 64 comprises a pair of load jaw sections 120 a,120 b hingedly mounted on weighing platform 110 and coupled to eachother via jaw gear linkages 122 a, 122 b, as shown in FIGS. 8a to 8d .The initial tare of hopper 64 and disposal bins 112, 114 in an emptystate is recorded. Food product 17 from trough 62 a is received in loadjaw section 120 a, while food product 17 from trough 62 b is received inload jaw section 120 b. The weight of the dispensed food product 17 ismeasured and recorded. Weigh hopper solenoid 124 is coupled to hopper 64via linkage arm 126, and is actuated to open load jaw sections 120 a,120 b following a weighing event, and food product 17 from load jawsection 120 a is conveyed into chute section 128 a, while food product17 from load jaw section 120 b is conveyed into chute section 128 b,enroute to feeding platform 28. Chute sections 128 a, 128 b terminate atchute opening 130 in separator wall 132 fixedly attached to base 15, andfood product 17 is received on feeding platform 28 via chute opening130. Separator wall 132 is disposed between feeding chamber 18 andweighing platform chamber 19, and extends between upper end 137, belowtroughs 62 a, 62 b adjacent to cylindrical spouts 88 a, 88 b to lowerend 138 abutting base 15.

Now looking at FIGS. 9a to 9e , feeding platform 28 is a hemi-circulardisc, with top surface 131, radially extending outwardly from separationwall 132 into feeding chamber 18, and is fixedly attached to adjacentlower end 138 of separation wall 132. Feeding platform 28 is elevatedabove base 15 by hemi-cylindrical, squat mounting member 136, abuttingbottom surface 139 of hemi-circular disc of feeding platform 28.Hemi-cylindrical, squat mounting member 136 extends radially outwardlyinto feeding chamber 18, and is fixedly attached to base 15 andseparator wall 132. Hemi-circular disc of feeding platform 28 andhemi-cylindrical, squat mounting member 136 have substantially the sameradius. On other side of separator wall 132 at the rear of feedingstation 10 are disposal bins 112, 114 resting on weighing platform 110,and disposed adjacent to base 15. The height of disposal bins 112, 114is less than the height of feeding platform 28 above base 15, anddisposal bins 112, 114 are slidably removable from lower portion 14 fordisposal of unconsumed food product 17.

Positioned above feeding platform 28 is hemi-frustoconical sweepingmember 140 resembling half of a base-less frustoconical bowl, withhemi-circular upstanding wall 142 in a vertical axis, and having aradius that is greater than the radius of hemi-circular disc of feedingplatform 28 and hemi-cylindrical, squat mounting member 136.Hemi-circular upstanding wall 142 comprises free top edge 144, and freeopposed side edges 148, 150 orthogonal to free top edge 144, and bottomedge 152. Angled hemi-circular platform wall 154 extending inwardly frombottom edge 152 of hemi-circular upstanding wall 142, oblique to thevertical axis with edges 158, 160, and includes free, bottom edge 156abutting top surface 131 of feed platform 28. The radius of angledhemi-circular platform wall 154 that is substantially the same as theradius of hemi-circular disc of feeding platform 28 andhemi-cylindrical, squat mounting member 136. Longitudinal, angled wall162 extends inwardly between edges 158, 160, and includes free,longitudinal top edge 164 and free, longitudinal bottom edge 166abutting top surface 131 of feed platform 28. Accordingly, when foodproduct 17 arrives via chute 130, it lands on top surface 131 of feedingplatform 28 and is contained primarily by angled hemi-circular platformwall 154 and longitudinal, angled wall 162. Accordingly, hemi-circularupstanding wall 142, angled hemi-circular platform wall 154 andlongitudinal, angled wall 162 may be unitarily-formed. About midway oflongitudinal, angled wall 162 is gear-head housing 170 for receivingdrive gear 172 coupled to sweeping member servo 174 fixedly attached tobase 15. Sweeping member servo 174 is actuable to rotatehemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 through cut-outs 180, 182, 184 inseparator wall 130, before and after a feeding event.

As can be seen in FIG. 9e , cut-out 182 is dimensioned to fit freeopposed side edge 148, and cut-out 180 is dimensioned to fit freeopposed side edge 150, such that hemi-circular upstanding wall 142 withfree top edge 144 can rotate in and out of cut-outs 180 and 182.Meanwhile, cut-out 184 is dimensioned to fit angled hemi-circularplatform wall 154 and longitudinal, angled wall 162, suchunitarily-formed angled hemi-circular platform wall 154 andlongitudinal, angled wall 162 can rotate in and out of cut-out 184.Accordingly, hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 can be positionedwithin feeding chamber 18 or weighing platform chamber 19.

FIGS. 10a to 10f show the various positions of hemi-frustoconicalsweeping member 140 as it is rotated between feeding chamber 18 andweighing platform chamber 19.

In FIG. 10a , hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 is positioneddirectly above feeding platform 28 such that free bottom edge 156 ofangled hemi-circular platform wall 154 and free, longitudinal bottomedge 166 of longitudinal, angled wall 162 engage top surface 131 offeeding platform 28, and free, longitudinal top edge 164 of leadinghalf-portion 190 and trailing half-portion 192 of longitudinal, angledwall 162 are co-axially aligned with separation wall 132.

In FIGS. 10b and 10c , hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 hasstarted to rotate clockwise, and free opposed side edge 150 ofhemi-circular upstanding wall 142 has traversed cut-out 180, andportions of angled hemi-circular platform wall 154 and longitudinal,angled wall 162 have traversed cut-out 184. FIG. 10c shows leadinghalf-portion 190 of longitudinal, angled wall 162 positionedsubstantially above disposal bin 112, while other trailing half-portion192 of longitudinal, angled wall 162 is positioned about midway offeeding platform 28. Accordingly, any food product 17 remaining on topsurface 131 is progressively swept by trailing half-portion 192 oflongitudinal, angled wall 162 into disposal bin 112.

In FIG. 10d , the majority of hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 isnow within weighing platform chamber 19. Leading half-portion 190 ispositioned substantially above disposal bin 114, while trailinghalf-portion 192 is still positioned on feeding platform 28, adjacent toseparation wall 132. Accordingly, most of food product 17 remaining ontop surface 131 has now been swept by trailing half-portion 192 intodisposal bin 112.

In FIGS. 10e and 10f , hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 is nowcontained within weighing platform chamber 19, and free, longitudinaltop edge 164 of leading half-portion 190 and trailing half-portion 192of longitudinal, angled wall 162 are co-axially aligned with separationwall 132. Accordingly, all of food product 17 remaining on top surface131 has now been swept by trailing half-portion 192 into disposal bin112.

When animal 11 leaves feeding tunnel 20, hemi-frustoconical sweepingmember 140 wipes off remaining food product 17 into the correct bin 112or 114, depending on the type of food product 17 that was originallydispensed. After hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 clears feedingplatform 28, the weight of disposal bin 112 or 114 is then measuredagain, and recorded, thereby allowing determination of the weight offood product 11 consumed by animal 11. Before another animal 11 entersfeeding tunnel 20, another tare of hopper 64 and disposal bins 112, 114in an empty state is recorded and the entire process repeats.

FIG. 11 shows a high level flow diagram illustrating exemplary processsteps for automatically feeding a uniquely-identified animal 11 inaccordance with the dietary needs thereof. It is foreseen that multipleanimals 11 may be automatically fed specific meals based on their uniqueidentity. Using user interface 52 or user device 49, an animal profileis created. Accordingly, feeding station 10 may be programmed to providefood product 17 to animal 11 having an animal profile, and the animalprofile is associated with a unique serial number of RFID tag 58 carriedby animal 11. For example, a mobile application on user device 49 allowsprogramming of feeding station 10 (step 200). The animal profilecomprises, but is not limited to, name, age, sex, breed and weight ofanimal 11, activity level, an indication as to whether animal 11 ispregnant or nursing, and whether animal 11 has health issues such asdiabetes, or whether animal 11 is overweight, underweight or needs tomaintain its current weight. Also, the current diet of animal 11 may beentered, e.g. a breakdown in percentages of the raw food, kibble and wetfood. The user may select foods or food products 17 for dispensationfrom a list from database 53 with types of food products 17, and brandsof food products 17, manufacturer of food products 17, periodicallyupdated by a remote server 50, or the user may enter the type or brandof food manually. Based on the animal profile and selected food products17, microprocessor 34 calculates the cat's nutritional requirements,such as the recommended number of daily calories required for thatparticular cat, and determines the number of daily feedings, feedingtimes, quantity of food product 17 per feeding event, and presents therecommendations to the user for review, editing and approval. Accordingto the Animal Medical Center in New York, U.S.A., a healthy, active8-pound adult cat requires about 30 calories per pound per day.Therefore, the average 8-pound cat requires about 240 calories per day.As previously discussed, monitoring the weight and feeding habits ofanimal 11 allows the microprocessor 34 to adjust the nutritionalrequirements as needed. However, it should be noted that the nutritionalrequirements are also dependent on individual metabolism, genetics,health status, environment, outdoor temperature, and other individualfactors. Customization of the daily feeding regimen for a particularanimal 11 may also be performed manually by the user, if desired.

With feeding station 10 programmed, supply hoppers 16 a, 16 b arereplenished with the desired food product 17 for feeding animal 11, andfeeding station 10 is placed in standby mode in which power consumptionis reduced. In step 202, when an object approaches and enters the tunnelentrance 22, presence detecting devices 60 detect the presence of theobject, and when the object approaches feeding platform 28, animalsensing module 40 is actuated to trigger RFID reader 55 to transmitinterrogating signals in search for any RFID tag 58 within its readrange; and within feeding chamber 18. Alternatively, RFID reader 55 actsas a presence detecting device 60 by periodically transmittinginterrogation signals in search for any RFID tag 58 within its readrange (step 204); and within feeding chamber 18, such that a feedingsequence can be initiated. In step 206, a determination is made as towhether the unique identifier associated with RFID tag 58 is obtained,and if the unique identifier can not be obtained then step 204 isrepeated, otherwise a query is issued to the database 53 (step 208) todetermine whether the unique identifier is associated with animal 11authorized to feed from feeding station 10 (step 210). When the uniqueidentifier is associated with an animal 11 without feeding privileges,then the process ends (step 212), and subsequently returns to step 201,and feeding station 10 is placed into standby mode; otherwise an animalprofile associated with the acquired unique identifier is retrieved fromdatabase 53 (step 214), and the animal profile sets out the type andquantity of food animal 11 is allowed to eat, including the feedingfrequency.

Next, a determination is made as to whether animal 11 has consumed themaximum amount of food permitted in a predetermined time period (step216). When animal 11 has consumed the maximum food allotment for thattime period, then the process ends (step 218) and subsequently returnsto step 201, otherwise the initial tare of hopper 64 and disposal bins112, 114 in an empty state is recorded and the weight is offset orrecalibrated to zero (step 220), and sweeping member servo 174 spins outhemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 from weighing platform chamber 19to feeding chamber 18 such that hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140is positioned directly on feeding platform 28 (step 222), in order toreceive food product 17. Next, the type of food product 17 to bedispensed is determined (step 224); when food product 17 of a first type(A) is required, then microprocessor 34 outputs a set of instructions toauger motor unit 94 a of auger member 90 a of food dispensing mechanism63 to dispense the allowed food portion to weigh hopper 64 from trough62 a holding the first type (A) of food product 17 (step 226); and whenfood product 17 of a second type (B) is required, then microprocessor 34outputs a set of instructions to auger motor unit 94 b of auger member90 b of food dispensing mechanism 63 to dispense the allowed foodportion to weigh hopper 64 from trough 62 b holding the second type (B)of food product 17 (step 228).

As noted above, supply hoppers 16 a, 16 b may hold the same food product17 or different food products 17 feed depending on the diet of animal11, or user preferences. Next, food product 17 in weigh hopper 64 isweighed, and a determination is made as to whether food product 17 inweigh hopper 64 has the desired or correct weight (step 230). If theweight is not correct, then the process returns to step 226 and step228, otherwise weigh hopper solenoid 124 is actuated to open weighhopper 64 for a predetermined time to release food product 17 into dropchute 26, with food product 17 from trough 62 a descending via chutesection 128 a, and food product 17 from trough 62 b descending viachute-portion 128 b (step 232), to accumulates on feeding platform 28,and is contained thereon by hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140. Thedispensed weight of food product 17 is taken by load cell sensors 116 a,116 b and 116 c, and recorded in database 53 (step 234), and animal 11consumes food product 17 (step 236). Following the feeding event,typically indicated by exit of animal 11, as detected by RFID reader 55or the tunnel entrance sensors 60 (step 238), in step 240 adetermination is made as to the type (A or B) of food product 17 thatwas dispensed based on steps 226, 228. If food product 17 of a firsttype (A) was dispensed, then sweeping member servo 174 is actuated torotate hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 clockwise, such that foodproduct 17 remaining on top surface 131 is been swept by trailinghalf-portion 192 into disposal bin 112 (step 242); and if food product17 of a second type (B) was dispensed, then sweeping member servo 174 isactuated to rotate hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140anti-clockwise, such that food product 17 remaining on top surface 131is been swept by leading half-portion 190 into disposal bin 114 (step244). Removing unconsumed food product 17 prevents another animal 11from wandering into feeding chamber 18 and ingesting a food product 17that is not intended for that other animal 11. In step 246, the weightof each food type (A or B) in disposal bin 112 and/or 114 is recorded,and a determination of the amount of food consumed by animal 11 (step248), and aspects associated with the feeding event are recorded, suchas: date and time, time of entry, time of departure, unique identifierassociated with animal 11; bowl identifier, type of food product 17,manufacturer of food product 17, amount of food product 17 dispensed,amount of food product 17 consumed, feeding rate, and stored in database53 (step 150), and feeding station 10 returns to stand-by mode and waitsto detect another RFID tag 58 to initiate another feeding session.

In another exemplary embodiment, the diet of animal 11 including foodconsumption, feeding patterns, are monitored to provide an up-to-datehealth report, and notifications pertaining to any changes in the healthstatus of animal 11, or feeding habits, are provided based on historicaldata, predetermined thresholds, or user-defined thresholds. Such reportsmay also be made available to a third party, such as an owner of animal11, guardian, veterinarian, animal hospital, manufacturer of foodproduct 17, or insurance provider. Alerts are issued when the bounds ofthese thresholds are exceeded.

In another exemplary embodiment, other feeding stations 10 may be addedand communicatively linked to each other as a means for having a feedingregimen to one or more animals. Such a configuration is especiallydesirable when feeding is required for extended time periods when ananimal owner is not available, or simply out of the sheer convenience ofnot having to refill the hopper 16 repeatedly.

In another exemplary embodiment, feeding station 10 may include aplurality of supply hoppers 16 a to 16 n filled with different, or like,food products 17, and associated plurality of troughs 62 a to 62 n eachassociated dispensing mechanisms 63 under control of microprocessor 34.Accordingly, a single program may include instructions for execution bymicroprocessor 34 to control individual dispensing mechanisms 63, inaccordance with a desired feeding regimen.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, an accelerometer and/or gyroscopeare associated with RFID tag 58 to acquire data related to the activityof animal 11, and such data is correlated to the feeding program ofanimal 11 and is used to adjust the feeding regimen or diet of animal 11and to track the overall health of animal 11.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, feeding station 10 comprisesinput/output (I/O) devices, such as a microphone, speaker, and imagecapture device to permit visualization of a feeding animal 11 andcommunication with animal 11 while feeding to reduce stress caused byseparation anxiety. Alternatively, recorded user messages may be playedvia the speaker. The display may be a touch screen for receiving inputsfrom a user, and a speech recognition unit may also receive inputs fromthe user.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, using the application on userdevice 49 a user may override existing feeding programmed instructions,and may select to dispense a particular amount of food product 17 at aparticular time.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, animal 11 is associated with anactive RFID tag 58 or transmitter that broadcasts the encoded uniqueidentifier periodically.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, animal 11 is associated with asemi-active RFID tag 58 or a semi-passive RFID tag 58.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, tunnel 20 comprises baffles 25 orscallops integrally formed with base 15, which substantially minimizethe possibility of more than one animal 11 entering the tunnel 20simultaneously, and eating the same meal; while also discouraging cats11 from sleeping in tunnel 20.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, lid 23 comprises shark fin members27 associated with upper portion 12, such as lid 23, to furtherdiscourage animals 11 from resting on top of the enclosure.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, parts of feeding station 10 thatcome into contact with food product 17 are removably attached to feedingstation 10 for maintenance or cleaning, such as by a manual cleaningprocess, an automated washing process or by a dishwasher. As an example,food dispensing unit 24, supply hoppers 16 a, 16 b, gate control 65 a,65 b, troughs 62 a, 62 b, augers 90 a, 90 b, weigh hopper 64, chute 26,hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform 28, and hemi-frustoconicalsweeping member 140, disposal bins 112, 114, may be removed for cleaningor maintenance, and can be subsequently introduced into feeding station10. For example, these removably attachable parts may include a magneticassembly for coupling to, and decoupling from, another magnetic assemblyon feeding station 10. Alternatively, other suitable fastening meanssuch as screws, nuts and bolts, are employed.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the electronicsinvolved in the operation of this system may take a variety ofembodiments. User interface 52 may include button actuators of thecapacitive or piezoelectric sensor type, for sending electricalselection signals to microprocessor 34. The button actuators can bedisposed on user interface 52. Liquid crystal display (LCD) drivercircuitry for receiving predetermined display data from microprocessor34 drives an LCD display with alphanumeric characters for providing userfeedback. Of course, any other suitable type of display can be used.Microprocessor 34 can be programmable to permit the manufacturer toinstall pre-set control algorithms and auger control data for all validselection combinations. Microprocessor 34 receives the electricalselection signals from the user interface 52 for accessing theprogrammed auger calibration data and calculating the necessary volumeto dispense. Once calculated, microprocessor 34 executes a controlalgorithm and issues corresponding auger control data also referred toas a driving signal, which can include the specific auger motor unit 94a or 94 b to be actuated and the quantity of food to be dispensed fromits corresponding dispensing mechanism 63. The dispensed food mayinclude any one of: feed, kibble, grub, goodies, food granules, andfodder.

The programmability of microprocessor 34 also permits tracking ofremaining food product 17 in troughs 62 a, 62 b. Since the volume ofeach dispense, and the full level volume of supply hoppers 16 a, 16 b,is known, microprocessor 34 can determine the remaining volume of foodproduct 17 in real-time, such that a visual and/or audio alert isemitted once a predetermined empty level threshold is reached. Ofcourse, a low level indication can be provided when the remaining volumeof food product 17 has reached a predetermined level. This alert cansignal the user to refill supply hoppers 16 a, 16 b.

Although the description above is focussed on dispensing food products17, feeding station 10 may also be configured to dispense fluids, suchas water, in accordance with an animal-specific feeding regimen, andtrack consumption thereof, in accordance with the methods and systemsdescribed above.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, feeding station 10 comprises aconnection to a water main to provide fresh, clean water at all times,especially when animal 11 is left alone for extended periods, or simplyfor convenience. Accordingly, a water bowl is provided with sensors toautomatically sense the water level and the microprocessor 34 controls awater main solenoid valve to open as needed.

Although the description above discloses a cat as an exemplary animal11, it should be appreciated that animal 11 may be any member of theanimal species.

Computing devices 49 include a general-purpose computer systemcomprising, for example, a processing unit, such as processor, systemmemory. The system also comprises as input/output (I/O) devices coupledto the processor via an I/O controller. The input/output (I/O) devicesinclude, for example, a keyboard, mouse, trackball, microphone, touchscreen, a printing device, display screen, speaker, etc. Acommunications interface device provides networking capabilities usingWi-Fi, and/or other suitable network format, to enable connection toshared or remote drives, one or more networked computers, or othernetworked devices, via the communications network 51. The components ofcomputer system may be coupled by an interconnection mechanism, whichmay include one or more buses (e.g., between components that areintegrated within a same machine) and/or a network (e.g., betweencomponents that reside on separate discrete machines). Theinterconnection mechanism enables communications (e.g., data,instructions) to be exchanged between system components.

The processor executes sequences of instructions contained in memory,such as a machine readable medium. The machine readable medium includesany mechanism that provides (i.e., stores and/or transmits) informationin a form accessible by a machine (e.g., a computer, network device,personal digital assistant, a smartphone, any device with a set of oneor more processors, etc.). For example, machine readable media includesrecordable/non-recordable media (e.g., read only memory (ROM); randomaccess memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media;flash memory devices; a hard disk drive, etc.), as well as electrical,optical, acoustical or other forms of propagated signals (e.g., carrierwaves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). The processor andoperating system together define a computer platform for whichapplication programs in high-level programming languages are written. Itshould be understood that the invention is not limited to a particularcomputer system platform, processor, operating system, or network. Also,it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the presentinvention is not limited to a specific programming language or computersystem. Further, it should be appreciated that other appropriateprogramming languages and other appropriate computer systems could alsobe used. The operating system may be, for example, iPhone OS (e.g. iOS),Windows Mobile, Google Android, Symbian, or the like.

Server computer 50 may be a web server (or a series of servers) runninga network operating system, examples of which may include but are notlimited to: Microsoft® Windows® XP Server; Novell® Netware®; or Red Hat®Linux®, for example (Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks ofMicrosoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both;Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell Corporation inthe United States, other countries, or both; Red Hat is a registeredtrademark of Red Hat Corporation in the United States, other countries,or both; and Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in theUnited States, other countries, or both).

Server computer 50 may execute a web server application, examples ofwhich may include but are not limited to: Microsoft IIS, NovellWebserver™, or Apache® Webserver, that allows for HTTP (i.e., HyperTextTransfer Protocol) access to server computer via network 51 (Webserveris a trademark of Novell Corporation in the United States, othercountries, or both; and Apache is a registered trademark of ApacheSoftware Foundation in the United States, other countries, or both).Network 51 may be connected to one or more secondary networks (e.g.,network CC), examples of which may include but are not limited to: alocal area network; a wide area network; or an intranet, for example.

Database 53 may be, include or interface to, for example, the Oracle™relational database sold commercially by Oracle Corp. Other databases,such as Informix™, DB2 (Database 2), Sybase or other data storage orquery formats, platforms or resources such as OLAP (On Line AnalyticalProcessing), SQL (Standard Query Language), a storage area network(SAN), Microsoft Access™ or others may also be used, incorporated oraccessed in the invention. Alternatively, database 53 is communicativelycoupled to server computer 50.

The feeding station 10, user devices 49 and computer server 50 maycommunicate with each other using network-enabled code. Network enabledcode may be, include or interface to, for example, Hyper text MarkupLanguage (HTML), Dynamic HTML, Extensible Markup Language (XML),Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL), Document Style Semantics andSpecification Language (DSSSL), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS),Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMWL), Wireless MarkupLanguage (WML), Java™, Java™ Beans, Enterprise Java™ Beans, Jini™, C,C++, Perl, UNIX Shell, Visual Basic or Visual Basic Script, VirtualReality Markup Language (VRML), ColdFusion™ or other compilers,assemblers, interpreters or other computer languages or platforms.

The communications network 51 can include a series of network nodes(e.g., the clients and servers) that can be interconnected by networkdevices and wired and/or wireless communication lines (such as, publiccarrier lines, private lines, satellite lines, etc.) that enable thenetwork nodes to communicate. The transfer of data between network nodescan be facilitated by network devices, such as routers, switches,multiplexers, bridges, gateways, etc., that can manipulate and/or routedata from an originating node to a server node regardless ofdissimilarities in the network topology (such as, bus, star, token ring,mesh, or hybrids thereof), spatial distance (such as, LAN, MAN, WAN,Internet), transmission technology (such as, TCP/IP, Systems NetworkArchitecture), data type (such as, data, voice, video, multimedia),nature of connection (such as, switched, non-switched, dial-up,dedicated, or virtual), and/or physical link (such as, optical fiber,coaxial cable, twisted pair, wireless, etc.) between the correspondentswithin the network.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have beendescribed above with regard to specific embodiments. However, thebenefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that maycause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essentialfeatures or elements of any or all the claims. As used herein, the terms“comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variations thereof, are intendedto cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method,article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not includeonly those elements but may include other elements not expressly listedor inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, noelement described herein is required for the practice of the inventionunless expressly described as “essential” or “critical.”

The preceding detailed description of exemplary embodiments of theinvention makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which show theexemplary embodiment by way of illustration. While these exemplaryembodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilledin the art to practice the invention, it should be understood that otherembodiments may be realized and that logical and mechanical changes maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.For example, the steps recited in any of the method or process claimsmay be executed in any order and are not limited to the order presented.Further, the present invention may be practiced using one or moreservers, as necessary. Thus, the preceding detailed description ispresented for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation, andthe scope of the invention is defined by the preceding description, andwith respect to the attached claims.

1. A feeding station for at least one animal, said feeding station comprising: an enclosure having a base, said enclosure comprising: at least one supply hopper having a food product; a food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled portions of said food product; a weigh hopper for receiving said food product from said food dispensing unit; a feeding platform within said enclosure for receiving said food product from said weigh hopper; a portal to said enclosure for allowing access to said food product by said at least one animal for a feeding event; a feeding platform sweeping member for clearing unconsumed food product off said feeding platform; at least one disposal bin for receiving said unconsumed food product from said feeding platform following said feeding event; and at least one weight sensor for determining the weight of said food product in said weigh hopper before said feeding event, and for determining the weight of said food product in said at least one disposal bin following said feeding event.
 2. The feeding station of claim 1, wherein said food dispensing unit comprises a trough to receive said food product from said supply hopper at one end of said trough, and an auger member received in said trough, said auger member operable by an auger motor to rotate and advance said food product to a trough exit port at another end of said trough.
 3. The feeding station of claim 2, wherein said auger member comprises a continuous flight having a progressive pitch between flight blades to dispense said controlled portions of said food product.
 4. The feeding station of claim 3, wherein the amount of said food product contained between said flight blades is determined, and each increment of a revolution of said auger member dispenses a predetermined amount of said food product via said trough exit port.
 5. The feeding station of claim 4, wherein said base extends along a first longitudinal axis, and said trough and said auger member are disposed above said base, and along a second longitudinal axis oblique to first longitudinal axis at a predetermined angle.
 6. The feeding station of claim 5, wherein said predetermined angle results in said food product being received primarily at said other end, and said predetermined angle minimizes reduce an initial burst of said food product as dispensation begins, and results in improved control of progressive dispensation of said food product.
 7. The feeding station of claim 6, further comprising a food dispensing module for providing control signals to said auger motor; and a weight sensor module for receiving and processing signals from said at least one weight sensor.
 8. The feeding station of claim 7, wherein said at least one animal is associated with an identification tag encoded with a unique identifier, an animal sensing module positioned adjacent to said portal detects the presence of said at least one animal and acquires said unique identifier information.
 9. The feeding station of claim 8, further comprising a control system, wherein said food dispensing module, said animal sensing module, said weight sensor module and a communication interface module are controlled by said control system.
 10. The feeding station of claim 9, wherein said control system comprises processing circuitry, and a computer readable medium comprising at least one feeding program for said at least one animal, and said at least one feeding program comprising executable instructions by said processing circuitry; and wherein said computer readable medium comprises a database having a plurality of profiles for each of said at least one animal, each of said animal profiles comprising at least one of said unique identifier, dietary needs, feeding schedule to form said at least one feeding program.
 11. The feeding station of claim 10, wherein said at least one feeding program is entered and said feeding events, weight of dispensed food product, weight of disposed food product, and weight of consumed food product are tracked, via at least one of a user interface and an external computing device via communication interface module.
 12. The feeding station of claim 11, wherein said animal sensing module detects the presence of said at least one animal and acquires said unique identifier information, and said control system retrieves said animal profile associated with said unique identifier, and said control system issues control signals to said food dispensing module to enable rotation of said auger motor to dispense a predetermined amount of said food product from said trough into said weigh hopper in accordance with said feeding program for said at least one animal; and said weigh sensor module sends a pre-feeding event weight measurement of said food product to said control system and stores said pre-feeding event weight measurement in said database, and said weigh sensor module sends a post-feeding event weight measurement of said food product in said at least one disposal bin following said feeding event to said control system and stores said post-feeding event weight measurement in said database; and said control system thereby determines the amount of said food product that was consumed.
 13. A method for dispensing at least one food product for at least one animal in a feeding station enclosure, said method comprising the steps of: associating said at least one animal with an identification tag having a unique identifier, and associating said unique identifier with a feeding program; storing said unique identifier and said feeding program in a database structure; detecting the presence of said at least one animal in the vicinity of a portal of said enclosure, and acquiring said unique identifier information; querying said database structure with said unique identifier and retrieving said feeding program associated with said at least one animal; providing a control signal to at least one dispensing unit to dispense a specific amount of said at least one food product to a weigh hopper, in accordance with said feeding program; weighing said at least one food product in said weight hopper and releasing said at least one food product to a feeding platform for said at least one animal to initiate a feeding event; and recording a pre-feeding event weight measurement of said at least one food product; sensing the non-presence of said at least one animal within said enclosure, indicative of an end to said feeding event; removing unconsumed at least one food product off said feeding platform into at least one disposal bin, weighing said unconsumed at least one food product and recording a post-feeding event weight measurement of said at least one food product; and determining the amount of at least one food product consumed by said at least one animal based on said pre-feeding event weight measurement of said at least one food product and said post-feeding event weight measurement of said at least one food product.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said identification tag comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, and said unique identifier is acquired by an RFID tag reader.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein said dispensing unit comprises a trough for receiving said food product from a supply hopper at one end, and an auger on a shaft coupled to motor receiving said control signals, said auger caused to rotate and dispense said dispense said specific amount of said food product to said weigh hopper.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of determining whether said pre-feeding event weight measurement of said food product is correct in accordance with said feeding program, and when said pre-feeding event weight measurement of said food product is not correct based on said feeding program, said dispensing unit dispenses an additional amount of said food product to said weigh hopper, and said food product in said weigh hopper is weighed, and to determining whether said pre-feeding event weight measurement of said food product is correct in accordance with said feeding program, otherwise a solenoid control signal is sent to actuate a solenoid associated with said weigh hopper to release said food product to said feeding platform.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein said feeding platform comprises a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member placed on a top surface of said feeding platform to contain said dispensed food product on said feeding platform; and said hemi-frustoconical sweeping member comprises: a hemi-circular upstanding wall in a vertical axis, with a free top edge and free opposed upstanding side edges orthogonal to free top edge, and a first bottom edge, with an angled hemi-circular platform wall extending inwardly from said bottom edge and oblique to said vertical axis, and said angled hemi-circular platform wall having a free second bottom edge abutting said top surface of said feed platform; and a longitudinal, angled wall extending inwardly between angled edges, and includes a free, longitudinal top edge and a free, longitudinal bottom edge abutting said top surface of said feed platform; and whereby said food product is contained by said hemi-circular upstanding wall and said angled hemi-circular platform wall.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of removing said unconsumed at least one food product off said feeding platform into at least one disposal bin, comprises a further step of: rotating a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member about said top surface of said feeding platform such that said angled hemi-circular platform wall engages said top surface and urges said unconsumed at least one food product into said at least one disposal bin.
 19. A feeding station for at least one animal, said feeding station comprising: at least one supply hopper having a food product; a food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled portions of said food product; a weigh hopper for receiving said food product from said food dispensing unit; a hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform for receiving said food product from said weigh hopper; and a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member rotatable on a top surface of said hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform to remove unconsumed food product off said feeding platform after a feeding event.
 20. The feeding station of claim 19, further comprising at least one disposal bin for receiving said unconsumed food product from said feeding platform following said feeding event; and further comprising at least one weight sensor for determining the weight of said food product in said weigh hopper before said feeding event, and for determining the weight of said food product in said at least one disposal bin following said feeding event. 